At least half of people who suffer a stroke in Ireland experience depression or anxiety afterwards, however just one in 10 of these is able to access psychological services, new research indicates.

According to preliminary findings from a study by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), known as ASPIRE-S, in the six months after a stroke, 22% of patients experienced depression and 32% experienced high levels of anxiety.

However a new survey conducted by the RCSI and the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) has found that while emotional difficulties are common after a stroke, just 11% of people are able to access psychological services.

The survey also revealed major deficits in services for stroke survivors who are aiming to overcome physical issues. For example, only half of those who require it have access to speech and language therapy and one-third of patients who need physiotherapy do not get it.

Commenting on the findings, IHF head of advocacy, Chris Macey, pointed out that there are over 50,000 stroke survivors in Ireland and these findings ‘paint a grim picture of their unmet physical and emotional needs after hospital discharge'.

"Psychological services in particular are virtually non-existent. The full emotional impact of stroke can be every bit as devastating as the physical effects, yet service levels provide no recognition of that reality whatsoever," he said.

He noted that while hospital-based services for stroke victims ‘have improved beyond recognition in the last three years', community services ‘have not improved at all'.

"We know that while up to €414 million a year is spent by the State on nursing home care for stroke survivors, less than €7 million is spent on the vital community rehabilitation services that can keep people living in their homes. It is hard to escape the conclusion from these studies that after their hospital treatment, many stroke patients are being abandoned to their fate back in their communities or in nursing homes, where they get no rehabilitation unless they pay for it themselves," Mr Macey stated.

He said that this is despite the fact that evidence suggests that proper community services are cheaper to provide and result in a better quality of life for stroke survivors.

Meanwhile preliminary findings from the ASPIRE-S study also revealed that stroke can have a major impact on personal relationships, with at least four in 10 survivors stating that it affected their relationships for a range of reasons, including personality changes, feelings of dependency and problems with intimacy.

Following these two studies, the IHF is calling on the health service to acknowledge the importance and cost effectiveness of adequate stroke rehabilitation. Such rehabilitation should focus on both the physical and psychological effects of stroke, it insisted.

"Life after stroke isn't just about how people directly affected react to the profound, instant and irreversible change in their lives. It's about how society reacts and what help is provided to enable people to maximise their quality of life. Right now Ireland is falling far short of a minimum moral obligation to people trying to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of this devastating condition," Mr Macey added.

The research results were launched to coincide with National Stroke Week, which is running this week.